What do I do??

dregaeAugust 11, 2014

I was asked to come up with some landscape ideas for a family members house that is getting built. It is pretty much a blank slate, but they have some stipulations....it has to be maintence free or nearly so. I've drawn up ideas for them and every time they keep saying that it's to much work. I've run out of ideas! I would appreciate any help and ideas!

You should return to each of your posts with an upside-down picture and edit them by replacing the pictures with some that are right-side up. Double check it in the "preview". Also, you might read through the nearby thread "How to take meaningful pictures" in order to see if yours are "framed" in such as way as to be genuinely useful. (The basic, straight-on, WIDE shot seems to be missing.)

I've drawn up ideas for them and every time they keep saying that it's to much work.

Let's get this straight:
How much work ARE they willing to put in to get it established?
How much ongoing maintenance is "TOO MUCH"? And what kind do they object to?

Low-maintenance landscaping often requires a higher initial expense and/or work input and time to get to the point of low maintenance. You have to pamper many drought tolerant plants through their first couple of years. You have to sweat to install pavers ... or hire it out. And there will be seasonal or occasional rounds of heavy maintenance where trees get trimmed, underbrush cleared, frost damage cleaned up.

I was asked to come up with some landscape ideas for a family members house that is getting built.

I would suggest that they hire a landscape designer and let a professional take over this project.
It is obvious that they do not understand that plants are living things that require constant care.
Mulch, water, pruning , weeding.

Well I don't know what to tell you as far as the upside down picture thing because when I preview it it is right side up even when it's published it's right side up. It may have something to do with this being done on an iPhone. I will check it on my home computer this evening and correct it if I can. As far as a full shot I do realize that it is missing but it's impossible to get. The house is on a main and very busy highway and across the street where I would have to stand to get a full shot is an overgrown patch of poison ivy that I don't care to get into! I'm not worried about doing this for family I trust them implicitly and I owe them a great deal.

They understand that basic maintence is unavoidable, but they don't want things that are heavy on the care. Plants that maybe only need sprucing up in the spring.

I will look into fixing the pictures as soon as I can and I appreciate everyone's help

Okay I fixed the pictures. I apologize for that, I think it had something to do with my phone. I went back over there this evening and took another picture. It's the best I can get of the overall, and it still doesn't include a full view of the whole lot or the old magnolia, but it will have to do I don't mix well with poison ivy.....shudder. Thanks again for your help.

If I understood correctly that a walk from the door to drive would be added, being that the space is so small and surrounded by porch paving, it might be better to just make a patio-like area of paving (rather than enclose the left section of porch with a skinny strip of planting bed.) Some tall, narrow screening seems necessary in order to keep from seeing into your neighbor's utility area.

I'm with a few of the earlier posters - if they keep burning your time and telling you everything is too much work, I'm not likely to have any more luck - and I don't have the 1-2 punch of shared DNA and the possibility that they'll bail me out of jail to keep me coming back for more.

Here's what I do when a client is being completely nuts about rejecting everything I suggest but not giving me anything in return to work with: I send them to Houzz.com and I say, "you have homework. Spend the next couple nights looking through photos people have posted online and if you see something you like, save it to an ideabook. BUT you also have to add a couple of lines about WHY you like what you see, as well as anything you also don't like."

Makes it so much easier to understand what they're responding to, and it allows you to move forward. I wouldn't suggest a single other thing until they do this for you,

I'm going with marcinde (and others) on this one. The nail for this hammer is simply that without any homeowner investment/effort in the merest of maintenance, all the OP's well intentioned efforts will end up looking exactly as the yard does now while the house is still under construction.

Wow I hadn't expected such a response, but I appreciate everyone's concerns. I love the rendering and I think thy will to! I feel kind of bad that everyone thinks I am getting taken advantage of so I thought I would elaborate just a bit.

The "client" is my husbands grandpa who is in his eighties and has a hard time getting around. That is actually why the house got remodeled was to make everything handicap accessible. My husbands aunt takes care of him, but she also has a small clothing shop she runs so she is very busy. With all this in mind and knowing thier limitations physically and for time they are going to engage someone to do the yard work. They don't care about the initial setup cost and are aware that it will be pricey they just don't want plants that are going to look unkempt if they aren't tended to each month like say roses can get. The main problem that they have had will my drawings and suggestions is they are worried some of the plants I suggested will look messy without a little extra attention. I hope that sets everyone's mind at rest. The reason I came to this forum was for some fresh eyes. Sometimes just getting a different perspective can be inspiring. Thanks again for everyone's concerns and thank you for the rendering yaardvark it was just the fresh perspective I needed.

Love Yardvaark's suggestions, incorporating larger entranceway important, they will require room to access vehicles with help.
Probably want to enjoy looking at plants but unable to work with them.
You are to be commended for making life more enjoyable for these older family members.
Don't forget about outdoor lighting for safety, security and a nice big house number.
Good luck Grace.